Iran: to be or…not to be ….that is the question

Threats against Iran continue to ratchet, ratchet downward apace. Where will it all end? Only the gods know… They must know that insanity rules Washington and its allies, no? Not that this is a particularly new state of affairs, given that the US is the largest exporter of violence on the planet, and only the names of her allies change a bit. The rest of the world watches aghast and waits…

“Iran has threatened recently to destroy Israel,” Netanyahu said in a video clip posted on Tuesday. “It is worthwhile for them to remember that these planes can reach everywhere in the Middle East, including Iran and Syria.”

Netanyahu delivered his stern lecture while standing in front of an F-35 fighter jet at Nevatim Airbase in central Israel. The Israeli Air Force has used its warplanes to strike supposed Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria numerous times, most recently pounding the cities of Damascus and Homs at the beginning of July – attacks that left multiple civilians dead. Last year, Israel became the world’s first military power to use the next-generation F-35 in a combat operation, reportedly against Iranian targets in Syria.

“The Israeli leader’s video comes a week after Iranian parliamentarian Mojtaba Zolnour remarked that “if the US attacks us, only half an hour will remain of Israel’s lifespan.”

The Iranian leadership has stuck with a calmer line, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stating in May that “there won’t be a war” between Iran and the US. Even the usually hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leader, Major General Hossein Salami, said on Monday that “the world knows” Tehran is not pursuing a nuclear weapon.”

“Washington has a new tactic in its ongoing campaign against Tehran: outsource the naval blockade of Iran and have allies seize oil tankers in international waterways – all in the name of “freedom of navigation,” of course.

The latest out of Washington is that the US is looking to put together a “coalition” that would “ensure freedom of navigation both in the Straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb,” as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford said on Tuesday. These are the waterways connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, and the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, respectively.

The US is in contact with “a number of countries” to see which ones “have the political will” to support the project, the Marine general added.

A legitimate policing project, however, would easily get UN approval and not require some kind of revamped “coalition of the willing” that the US used to illegally invade Iraq in 2003. Not to mention that Iran itself has welcomed a truly international security effort.

At a guess, two of those countries might be the UK and Egypt, judging by their recent seizures of tankers carrying Iranian oil. The British boarding of the Panamanian-flagged Grace 1 in Gibraltar last week is well known. Days prior, however, Egyptian marines had seized a Ukrainian-flagged vessel in the Suez Canal, the Qatari outlet Al-Araby recently reported. While Tehran has been quiet on the Egyptian seizure, its officials have condemned the taking of Grace 1 as “piracy, pure and simple” and insisted that such behavior sets a terrible precedent and must stop immediately.”

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani cautioned the UK government against the consequences of triggering insecurity by capturing an Iranian supertanker in international waters.

“In an address to a Wednesday meeting of cabinet of ministers, Rouhani lashed out at Britain for working as a US proxy in the seizure of Iran’s oil tanker Grace 1 near Gibraltar.

The UK has made a “very despicable and wrong” move to seize the Iranian ship, he added.

“We should all try to ensure full security for shipping lines across the world, and I warn the British that you have initiated insecurity and you will understand its consequences later,” the president added.

Rouhani emphasized that Iran’s supertanker has been seized unlawfully, because the British control over Gibraltar, which belongs to Spain, is an act of occupation.

“An occupier government (UK) that is illegally present in that region (Gibraltar) has taken such a despicable measure (to seize Iran’s vessel), while the people of Spain also abominate the UK move,” he added.

” The increase in the enrichment level—which had been capped at 3.67 percent and has risen to 4.5 percent, according to Iranian authorities—follows last month’s announcement by Iran that it was deliberately exceeding the 300 kg cap imposed by the JCPOA on its enriched uranium stockpiles. The country is supposed to export any excess amounts, but even that option has been undermined by the US “maximum pressure” sanctions regime.

Tehran indicated that it will impose another 60-day deadline for the European powers to take concrete steps to ensure that Iran receives the sanctions relief that it was promised in return for its submission to drastic limits on its nuclear program.

Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), told the official news agency ISNA Monday that if such relief is not forthcoming, Iran could take a third step of installing more centrifuges and enriching uranium to 20 percent.

While the increase from 3.67 to 4.5 percent is largely symbolic, the rise to 20 percent would place the Iranian nuclear program in a position to move more rapidly toward the 90 percent enrichment level needed to produce weapons-grade uranium.”

“Iran’s latest actions provoked a flurry of new threats from top US officials. President Donald Trump told reporters on the White House lawn Monday that “Iran better be careful,” while suggesting that the minimal increase in its uranium enrichment was aimed at securing a nuclear weapon.

Similarly, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that “Iran’s latest expansion of its nuclear program will lead to further isolation and sanctions.”

Demonstrating once again who one of the Puppet Masters of this administration is:

“And Vice President Mike Pence, speaking before a sympathetic audience of right-wing evangelicals at the Christians United For Israel conference in Washington Monday, said: “Iran should not confuse American restraint with a lack of American resolve … the United States of America and our military are prepared to protect our interests and protect our personnel and our citizens in the region.”

A prepared text released before the speech described the US administration as “willing to talk” with Tehran, but Pence dropped the line in his delivered remarks.” [snip]

“Berlin, meanwhile, placed the onus on Tehran for the increasing crisis surrounding the nuclear deal. “The ball is clearly in Iran’s court,” a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry told a news conference on Monday. “We want to preserve the deal. For this, parties must stick to it.”

The reality, however, is that Tehran has no reason to “stick to it” under conditions in which the US sanctions regime has robbed Iran of the promise of economic normalization that was made in return for its sweeping nuclear concessions.”

He writes that the perceived threat that Iran may seize U vessels has, according to Bloomberg News had caused a UK BP tanker bound for Iraq’s Basra oil terminal to reverse course and stop off the coast at Saudi Arabia.

Tehran, Russia, and China all find Washington’s July 10 emergency meting with the IAEA board of governors…only too ironic, given that it was Washington (courtesy of Bibi) who’d pulled out of the JCPOA, before which the IAEA had reported that Iran had always been in full compliance with the protocols of The Deal.. Tehran also hopes that the governors will say: “End the sanctions”.

And speaking of oil terminals, Tehran said that the ship the UK ha seized at Wahington’s request was not headed to Syria, as it was too large to be accommodated at Syrian terminals.

Zarif: Snapback Mechanism Unimplementable

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said it would be impossible to implement the so-called snapback mechanism to renew the UN sanctions on Iran’, tasnimnews.com, July 10, 2019

““The snapback mechanism does not apply to Iran at all,” Zarif said, adding that Tehran has only referred to the JCPOA terms that allows for compensation.

“Our reasoning is absolutely clear, but the Europeans are making instrumental use (of the JCPOA), as they themselves know that this mechanism has no credibility and have announced that (their recent moves) do not mean using the snapback mechanism,” he added.

The Europeans are not ready to pay for their security, he deplored, saying the main problem lies with the US, which has withdrawn from the JCPOA.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s stance is explicit, which is negotiations under pressure will never be possible. They must stop the pressures and economic war and terrorism against people of Iran. In that case, it would be possible to discuss the implementation of the JCPOA,” he added.

Safavid art

“The key point in the snapback mechanism is that in case of a failure to resolve a dispute among the parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the UNSC would vote on a resolution “to continue the sanctions lifting”, meaning that a single veto from one of the UNSC members (most likely from the US) would end the sanctions’ lifting and slap the previous sanctions against Tehran again.

7 responses to “Iran: to be or…not to be ….that is the question”

Love the painting and mosque interior! Thanks, wendye. Space craziness on PBS, as if we had fixed all our earthly problems. That’s a lovely, entrancing view of the heavens in that interior – feet on the ground, people! I clicked off this evening as someone was saying wouldn’t it be wonderful to look up at the moon and see the lights of human habitation?

anyhoo, this is how the IAEA shindig went, and it’s a win for the good guys:

TEHRAN -Tehran says the UN nuclear watchdog’s special meeting held at Washington’s request to win the Board of Governors’ support for its anti-Iran claims turned into another failure for Americans’, tehrantimes.com, July 11, 2019

“Another failure for the US at the mockery of the IAEA’s Board of Governors,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi tweeted on Wednesday in reference to an emergency meeting of the 35-member Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to discuss Iran’s nuclear program, which wrapped up with no conclusion earlier in the day in Vienna.

The emergency meeting was held at the request of US Ambassador to International Organizations Jackie Wolcott. Iran later criticized the US’ request as a “sad irony” as Washington is the party that has violated the deal first by unilaterally pulling out of it and imposing sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
The US had approached various delegations before requesting to convene the special meeting but in the end had to make the request itself, says Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA Kazem Gharib-Abadi.

“We have been informed that the United States were seeking to have some formal outcome of this meeting, something like a resolution […] but because they haven’t been in a position to convince the others to have their support for their claim, regarding consideration of Iran’s ceasing its implementation of the JCPOA, there has been no conclusion,” he told Press TV following the special session.

“The majority of the members of the Board supported the JCPOA, multilateralism and deplored unilateral actions of the US,” he added.
The Russian Ambassador to the IAEA, Mikhail Ulyanov, also tweeted after the meeting that the US “was practically isolated on this issue”.
Ulyanov told the assembled diplomats it was an “oddity” that the meeting had been called by the US, “the country that declared the JCPOA to be a ‘terrible deal’”.

He said “in practice, it turns out that Washington is aware of the importance of the Plan (JCPOA).”
Also in a statement to the meeting, the UK, France, and Germany said such issues “should be addressed by participants to the JCPOA, including through a meeting of the Joint Commission to be convened urgently.”
The E3 at the same time called on Iran to implement its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal in full despite the fact that Iran’s decision to reduce its commitments under the deal was made after Europe’s failure to live up to its side of the bargain.

The European parties to the JCPOA were supposed to compensate for the US withdrawal from the deal in May 2018 and the impact of its sanctions on the Iranian economy. Back in January, the E3 officially announced a special payment mechanism, known as the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), which was aimed at facilitating trade with Tehran despite the US bans.

hope you’re doin’ well enough in the sizzling heat, ww. our nights have been so cool the garden ain’t growin’ all that well. we’ve add oodles of early flowers, though, at least the ones that didn’t get hailed on in what mr. wd calls ‘the tribulation’.

Ditto here, wd. Tomatoes haven’t been growing at all, though I seeded lots. Funny thing is though the corn I planted which usually shrivels up for me this time of year is huge! Can’t get greens going though, but my self-seeded nectarines which have never fruited are loaded this year.

I’m just hoping all the mooning over the moon doesn’t mean we are in for another ghastly war – not that the ongoing ones aren’t still embering away. But better distraction – kiwi black cap cricketers diddled and doddled themselves into the world cup final – at Lords, the home of cricket, and against the Brits themtheirselves! Sunday there, so no Chariots of Fire scenario, but for me it will be the very wee hours if I get myself awake to listen in. (The more likely final pairing had been Aussies and Indians – but, if not chariots, bowlers of fire put paid to their assumed prospects.)

And Pakistan’s President is meeting Xi. He might be cheered our chaps slew the Indian team – figuratively, that is. And then the Brits copied us with the Aussies, which they may well do with us also; there’s the rub!

ah, you’d ‘seeded’ tomatoes; we always start them, then transplant them. but
mr. wd said that the flowers died last night, and during the warmest night we’ve had all summer. go figure.

fun stuff on the cricket, hope you made it awake to listen in. yes, xi wants kahn to buy into the one belt, one road, but then he and putin want genocidaire narendra modi as well. blech. but…bidness is bidness, not just in amerika. sigh. but still it’s another challenge to imperial hegemony. and with obor (now BRI) they say iran is key.

Just coming on here to report that New Zealand won the cup! Only not according to the officials. A run, which is a point, extra was given the Brits in the final over, which gave the teams a tie, even though it was not according to the rule permitted. You can bet those umpires who know the rules back and forth knew they were cheating. Here’s how even cricinfo reported that play:

49.4 [there are 50 overs per side; this was the final Brit over, six times to bowl in all so this was two bowls before the end of the match.]
6
Boult to Stokes, 6 runs, It’s all happening at Lord’s. Full-toss on middle, smeared away to deep midwicket. Guptill attacks the ball and sets himself up for a direct hit. It might have well been a direct hit had Stokes not inadvertently deflected it away with his outstretched bat, diving forward to save himself from being run-out. The deflection ensures the ball tickles away to the boundary. It’s six runs in the end. Wouldya believe it? It’s ridiculous
******

An obscure rule, crazy, but even so the umpires counted it as six when it should have been five according to the rule. They erred; they had even taken time to consult. The rule, if they had read it, would have produced five runs from that crazy situation, not six. Guptill as described here is the NZ player firing back the ball which might well have hit the stumps but the bat of the running Brit guy, Stokes, was in the way, so it deflected down to the boundary.

I don’t think points should be allowed for a batsman deflecting the ball even if it was inadvertent. But even so, adding up runs and the boundary should have been one for a completed run and four for the boundary – five. NZ would have won. This was the final over of the match.

They are all pretending it was the greatest match. Not in my book! Even cricket is now corrupted (sigh). My heart bleeds for the team.
It’s only a game, but this was the World Cup. They earned it.

they got robbed; guess it figures in the end. UK and all that. i tried and tried to find any footage of a kiwi haka at that finals match, but failed. in any event, here is a rugby match from three weeks ago, tonga v. kiwis: